1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bond shield terminal electrically interconnecting the metal shield jackets of a pair of spliced together electrical cables.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While underground wiring is aesthetically more desirable than overhead wiring and has come into greater use in recent years, such wiring is subject to moisture encountered in the underground environment. While the electrical cables themselves are substantially moisture proof, it is often necessary to form splices connecting lengths of cables and to shield the splices from the moist environment. This problem has been substantially resolved by the use of sealed splices as shown in the patent of Shoemaker (U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,986). It is however, necessary to provide a shell for the splices to be protected. The shell contains a volumetric collapsible container filled with a viscous sealing material. A closure cap is closed compressibly over the container, collapsing the container and expelling and distributing sealant throughout the connector shell. The shielding jackets of the spliced cable are electrically commoned by a terminal having a base plate, a further clamping plate and a screw to clamp and maintain the jacket in a common condition. Installation of this terminal requires a great deal of service time in the field and also suffers the problem that the foils are interconnected to only the terminal rather than in direct contact with each other. It is therefore desirable to provide a replacement terminal which can provide advantages both in the quality of interconnection as well as in the reliability and speed of installation thereof.